Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a method and device for diagnosis and treatment of arrhythmias. More particularly, the present invention describes a method and device for diagnosis and treatment of arrhythmias using thermography.
Background of the Invention
Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common cardiac arrhythmia (type of irregular heartbeat) and the incidence of AF increases with advancing age. Among American adults, the prevalence of AF is between 2.7 million and 6.1 million individuals, and is projected to increase to between 5.6 and 12.1 million by 2050.
Electro-anatomical mapping is a technology that provides information about the electrical activity of the heart in a visual manner. Currently, electro-anatomical mapping is the main method of finding AF triggers during AF ablation procedures. The success rate of AF ablation with assistance of electrical mapping is around 70%, so establishing an alternative method to find the source of arrhythmia in the heart is a great advantage toward improving the success rate of ablation procedures.
Arrhythmias arise from different locations in the heart and attached vessels and finding the exact location from which they are generated can help physicians guide their therapy to ablate those foci using a variety of techniques. Currently, recording of the electrical activities at the surface of the heart chambers is utilized to identify the source of abnormal electrical currents in the heart. This approach is helpful but not perfect, and its effectiveness is far from optimal. There is continuing need and interest to develop a method and device for diagnosis and treatment of arrhythmias.